, 1887-01-09

Ut not Inc cave ana the space lIlSilc our
little fortress seemed a moving mass OF
savagcs. They were hideous looking
wretche,, almost as black rs Africans.
They were armed with spears and clubs.
Some OF them wore fragments of European
garments, probably picked up from the
occasional wrecks on that dangerous
coast. They were all jabbering to each
other, and too busy oyerhauling our stores
to pay the slightest attention to us.
How did it happenf" / whispered to
Dalton, who was stretched by my side.
II cannot tell, - he answered. II feel
strangely. These devils must have stupe-
fed NJ in some way. Otherwise they
could not have trapped MS all without
waking us"
oar conversation attracted the notice Of
the leader Of our captors, and he came up
to us.
"Howdy, white man, lie said to Dial
ton, md then turning TO me he repeated
the salutation.
Unite us" / pleaded.
NO. q replied the savage. He looked
at Ms very earnestly and then shook his.
head.
The old rascal was short and fat, OF II
well lone ginger cake color, and his
malicious black eyes snapped restlessly as
he watched us. His attire consisted OF n
red silk sash and n pair OF boots HIS
brcast was deliberately tatooed, and his
face exhibited similar traces of artistic
handiwork.
Dalton and |, after n whispered con
snltation, agreed to be patient and cheer
full, hoping thereby to secure better terms
The savages ransacked the cave. They
pelted each other with the biscuits, evil
IDENTIFY not knowing their edible qualities.
They shifted at the brandy cask and
smacked their lips. They rummagod our
pockets and took away our pistols and
knives.
At lust the crowd withdrew and held tt
pow WOW on the beach. Their head man
talked to them, and finally several stout
men returned to us and carried four OF
our party Off.
.'Bad sign" muttered Dalton, that
means that we are to be killed, or that the
others will be, | AM tell which,
just then the head man came up Ia ns.
Shaping his breast, he said:
Me Kybela. Me King You live
wild me
Seeing that he spoke English so we'll.
we asked about our fellow prisoners.
His reply Mortified is. As well rs We
could understand 1t our companions Ind
been taken off to be sacrificed. \ 90
In the center of the island had been rum
bling and belching out fire and smoke nt
littlNdlS ll plht AlhC past 3Nh 10
majesty, King Kybela, had decided 10
make terms with the angry spirii il The
bowels OF the earth by pitching g lev
white men into the crater. He paiI no
heed to our protests, and as We never aiw
the four men again, there is little doubt
that they met the terrible doom marked
out for them. His majesty seemed to lie
surprised that we took 1t So hard. He
patted us on our heads, and said.
king kybela no hurt you You safe.
You live wild me"
This somewhat relieved us. II cur lives
were to be spared there was still hope.
The next day his majesty set us to work.
We found that our lives had been spared
because King Kybela wanted somebody to
guard and take care of the sacred ROSTERS
vf Nangho Io.
Hanged If this can be real.' said bal
ton To me. Am | n lunatict Am l dream
Ingf 1t Is nonsense to say that such things
can be-
II was ull painfully real to me. We had
been carried over the mountains To the
quiet valley where his majesty kybcla
lived in a bamboo shanty, surrounded by
similar edifces. We had been freed from
orr bonds, and II dozen natives armed with
spears hid introduced us to the sacred
BOOSTERS and explained our duties.
There were seven ROSTERS, and the mo
mrnt We saw them we thought Of poor
Barlow and knew that he had told us the
truth. These remarkable birds were six
feet high. They We're built on the Shanghai.
order and were t%erociou- and repulsive In
appearance. Their eyes reSembled bulls of
red lire. Their bills were fully two feet
long aud their spurs were about nine
inches. Their feathers, although oiled
every day, were rough and shaggy, and
their wings Were too closely clipped To look
we'll. The muscularlegs of these creatures
legs nearly as large as II inan's-showed
that they We're possessed Of enormous
strength and endurance.
Our guards told us that the sacred
ROSTERS lived forever, when they We're
properly cared for. When one died it was
the custom Of King Kybela to order the
keepers to Ike killed, and there had been
of late such IN unprecedented mortality
among both ROSTERS and keepers that
his majesty had been unable to find mem
bers of his tribe who would accept this
important trust. Matters had approached
M open revolt when our capture &c
Cured
We must do our duty by the sacred
roo,ters of Vangho Lo,' said Dalton.
Remember that while they live we ARE
safe.
Knowing how much depended upon il,
we Immediately set to work TO make
ourselves solid with the ROSTERS. We
were separated from them by a bamboo
picket fence, and were In no danger, ex-
cept once a day when we went into the
i%nclosure to oil their feathers. Vt such
times one OF MS would do the oiling with
n long mop. while the other stood of
with Il gong which he beat furiously when
one OF the birds showed n disposition To
make n charge.
In the course Of "A few days We got
things reduced to u system. One of the
ROSTERS entangled n spun in my garments
and dragged me around the yard one
morning, and another snatched off Dial
tons cap and swallowed 1t, but with the
exception Of these trifing accidents every
thing moved along serenely.
The horrible novelty of our position
seemed 10 worry Dalton. Every night he
would talk about Il.
1t is awful, - he said. These ROSTERS
ARE had enough. Who would have be-
lievcd that such monsters existed And
then everything else is on such n distorted
scale. The clouds here get tangled up in
u fellows hair and whiskers. The sun Is
always shining through n red haze. Some
Vi the trees ARE cannibalistic. II II mar
goes to sleep under one the ranches droop
down and close on him and drain his life
blood. Nearly all the vegetables grow
without any roots. They are pulpy balls
rolling III the ground, without any stem
ur stalk, or anything. Now, you may be
able to stand this sort OF thing, hut Il is
driving me crazy
| fclt rs badly about II AS any one could,
but sin ! counseled patience.